The Book

Kranepool as No. 21? Maz as 12? Who can say what the genesis of fascination is? But if Mets uniform numbers — and the who and why of them — intrigue you, this book will scratch your itch.

— Marty Noble, MLB.com

An absolute must-have for any Met fan. Unlike Rey Ordonez, Jeff Duncan, and Shingo Takatsu, “Mets by the Numbers” is a perfect 10. In the spirit of Mookie Wilson (and Lute Barnes. And Sergie Ferrer. And Chuckie Carr…), authors Jon Springer and Matthew Silverman are No. 1 when it comes to delving deep into Met digits. Somewhere, George Foster (15), Tito Navarro (36), and Mac Scarce (44) are smiling …

—Jeff Pearlman, author, “The Bad Guys Won”

Mets by the Numbers is now available in bookstores throughout the tri-state area and on-line at amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others. Co-written with Matthew Silverman (Mets Essential, Meet the Mets), and with a dynamite foreword by Met broadcaster Howie Rose, Mets by the Numbers is based on the original research at this site.

Unlike typical team histories that proceed chronologically, Mets by the Numbers is the first and only book that examines the team and its players by ascending uniform number, or from 1 (Mookie Wilson) to 99 (Turk Wendell). Included is a robust examination of each number and the players who wore them from the viewpoint of the fan, a deep dive into Met uniform history, daring acts of statistical acrobatics never before attempted, and more than 50 photographs courtesy of Topps.

Why uniform numbers? In a sport obsessed with numbers — creating, recording and analyzing statistics — the uniform number may be the final frontier. It’s not a stat that teams keep officially, and it won’t score you any points in a rotisserie league, but it just might be the official statistic of the die-hard fan. For many, the association between player and number is a powerful one. The arrival of a new player recalls others who wore his number. Fans use numbers as mnenomics, adopt their favorite player’s number as their own lucky numbers, plunk down $200 for a jersey with authentic digitry. It’s the way the mind of a fan works.

Mets by the Numbers captures this fascination, shedding new light on forgotten numerical history (the five Mets who wore No. 41 before Tom Seaver); digging deeper into the familiar lore (revealing something of Kelvin Torve other than the fact he wore No. 24 for a few weeks in 1990) and answering questions that might never before have been asked (which uniform number accounted for the most home runs in Mets history?)

it’s at once a valuable reference for the geeked-out Met fan and a must-have accessory for geek wannabes. Or as Bob Murphy might say, it’s a marvelous addition to your baseball library.

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More Praise for Mets by the Numbers:

“Fascinating and entertaining … a great companion during those interminable rain delays or pitching changes.”

“For those who enjoy reminiscing and lingering over the memories of the Mets at different periods in time. Mets By The Numbers is the perfect complement to any Mets library. Buy it for the avid Mets fan in your life.”

“Given the book’s unique structure, it would have been very easy for each chapter to devolve into a tired roll-call, blandly cataloging every player to don a particular uniform. The authors deftly avoided that particular pratfall by interjecting humor with history, and leaving us with a chapter-long capsule for every number ever worn.”

“The book, a spinoff of ‘The Mets Website that counts,’ tells the history of the crew from Flushing in a unique way: those who wore particular uniform numbers. Those uniforms can’t talk, but they’ve found their Homer and Virgil in Messrs. Springer and Silverman.

“A must read for anyone who’s lost sleep over a Willie Randolph move, a Doug Sisk pitch or an appearance by the immortal # 51, Mel Rojas. … A fascinating way to dissect a team’s history and give it a fresh spin. Simply put, Mets by the Numbers is the best book I have ever read about my favorite sports team of all time.”

“Simply a must-have for Mets fans. I enjoy pulling it out at odd times and losing myself in its pleasures as I have done previously with the web site. I honestly can’t think of a Mets-related book that I have enjoyed more.”

3 comments

Book and website are missing a player – AL REYES. He was a relief pitcher who was added to the roster in September 2008, but never appeared in a game. He was at the tail end of his career and I guess he had nothing left, even by the standards of September 2008.